Global Courant
An Air India plane flying from New Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Magadan, Russia after it developed an engine problem.
Air India says a spare plane would depart from Mumbai for passengers whose flight had to land at an airport in Russia’s Far East due to engine trouble.
An Air India plane flying from New Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Russia’s Magadan, a port city on the Sea of Okhotsk, after it developed an engine problem, officials said.
The plane, a Boeing 777 with 216 passengers and 16 crew members on board, landed safely at Magadan airport on Tuesday, Air India said in a statement.
The flight “developed a technical problem with one of its engines,” the statement said, adding that the plane was undergoing safety checks and passengers were receiving ground support.
Vedant Patel, a spokesman for the US State Department, said on Tuesday that US citizens were likely on the run, but could not immediately confirm by how many. “We continue to monitor the situation,” Patel said.
Girvaan Kaahma, 16, was on the run with his uncle and brother. He said they are not allowed to leave the hostel they are staying in in Magadan and they cannot use their credit cards to buy items from the vending machine due to sanctions due to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Kaahma said the airline had told passengers they were likely to depart from Russia for the United States on Thursday.
The diversion of the Boeing 777 wide-body jet comes a day after the chief of the world’s largest airline raised concerns about the safety of airlines flying through Russian airspace with US citizens on board.
“What will happen if an airline lands in Russia with some prominent American citizens on board? That’s a potential crisis in the making,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Monday.
“I think we have to solve it before the crisis hits.”
On Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson defended the airline’s use of Russian airspace, pointing out the critical role the industry plays in connecting economies, people and cultures.
“Air India, we are operating according to the scope of what is provided to us by the nation of India and not all countries agree,” he said to a panel at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual meeting.
Russia has banned US airlines and other foreign airlines from using its airspace in retaliation for Washington banning Russian flights over the US in March 2022 after Moscow sent troops to Ukraine.
However, Air India and some Gulf-based, Chinese and African airlines continue to fly over Russia, reducing flight times and making US rivals uncompetitive.
